India's Test squad for the New Zealand 2026 tour was announced without three players who have been prominent in white-ball cricket. All three are part of the ODI setup for the same tour, yet their red-ball credentials are worth a closer look.
The 2025-2027 World Test Championship cycle gives India's selectors room to plan ahead. Domestic performances in the Ranji Trophy and first-class cricket have kept these names in wider discussions around Test selection.
Here are 3 ODI players who deserve chance in India's Test side:
3. Shreyas Iyer
Shreyas Iyer has accumulated 6,408 first-class
runs across 83 matches at an average of 47.82, with 15 hundreds and 33 fifties to his name. That record places him among the more experienced middle-order options available outside the current Test setup. In the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy, Iyer averaged just under 69 across five matches and struck at nearly 90, with Mumbai going on to win the title that season. His 233 against Odisha during that campaign was the standout knock, underlining his ability to build long innings in red-ball conditions. Iyer has played 14 Tests, scoring 811 runs with one century and five fifties.
He last appeared in a Test on February 2, 2024 against England. His ability to handle spin and bat at No. 4 or No. 5 makes him a relevant name for Asian conditions in particular. On his Test debut against New Zealand in Kanpur on November 25, 2021, he scored a century and a fifty in the same match.
2. Arshdeep Singh
Arshdeep Singh has taken 73 wickets in 24 first-class matches at an average of 30.71, with an economy rate of 3.23 and two five-wicket hauls. India's current Test attack leans heavily on right-arm seamers, and Arshdeep's ability to move the ball both ways offers a different angle. India's coaching staff described Arshdeep as part of a group under careful workload management ahead of the New Zealand Tests and said he is "definitely in that conversation" if a red-ball opportunity comes up.
A left-armer can target left-hand batters from around the wicket and create rough for spinners, complementing Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep and Prasidh Krishna without duplicating what any of them do. Arshdeep is also the first Indian bowler to reach 100 wickets in T20 Internationals, highlighting his standing in the Indian set-up.
1. Ruturaj Gaikwad
Maharashtra opener Ruturaj Gaikwad scored an unbeaten 101 off 172 balls against Jharkhand in the 2026-27 Ranji Trophy, reaching his tenth first-class century. Notably, that knock came while batting at No. 7, a position well below his usual spot in the order, pointing to his willingness to adapt to team needs.
Across 49 first-class matches, Gaikwad has accumulated close to 3,500 runs at approximately 45, with 10 centuries and 18 fifties. His 2025-26 Ranji Trophy campaign was particularly strong: 364 runs in five innings at an average of 121.33, with scores of 91, an unbeaten 55 and 116 among them. He was previously considered for India's Test tour of South Africa in 2023-24 but was ruled out due to injury before he could make his debut.
